Trolley-hanger.



UNITED STATES PATEN orr on.

THEODORE VARXEY, OF PITTSBL'RG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIUXOR, BY MESXE AsSIG NMENTS,

TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC .5: MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF EAST "PITTSBURG, PENN"- SYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TROLLEY-HANGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

Application filed March 9, 1908. Serial No. 420,077.

To all whom may concern:

Be it knovn that I, Tnsonom-z Vassar, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trolley-Hangers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to overhead line structures for electric railways, and it has for its object to provide an improved device for suspending a trolley conductor from a messenger wire or cable.

In the catenary type of line suspension, as usually installed, the trolley wire is connected to the messenger cable by a plurality of rigid hangers, each of which comprises a in construction and is adapted to rod and a )air of clamps to respectively ongage the e. lo and the trolley conductor. By reason of the rigid nature of the above-men tioned connections, undesirable results are liable to follow any relative longitudinal movement between the trolley conductor and the cable; for example, the trolley conductor is sometimes kinked or bent out of shape near the ends of the trolley clamps. Furthermore, when electric vehicles are operated at high speeds, a relatively high pressure is usually exerted by the trolle or other current-collector against the tro ey conductor in order to avoid arcing and to insure contact between the engaging parts.

In the use of the rigid hangers of the prior art, the points of connection between the hanger and the trolley conductor have been so unyield'in that a material hammering action took place under certain conditions as the trolley contact shoe assed along the wire, which served to bend the trolley wire at these points and to increase the arcing tendency.

According to my present invention, I provide a hanger which is simple and durable prevent torsional movement of the trolley wire and to obviate the tendency for the trolley wire to bend or kink when its hanger is not vertical. Moreover, the difiiculties of the prior art are largely overcome by permitting a vertical movement of the trolley wire and a longitudinal movement of the trolley wire relative to the messenger cable, as well as a vertical adjustment of the hanger itself. A.

special. advantage is secured by entirely avoiding a frictional en agement between the cable and the pivoted inksof the hangers, and wear on the cable "from other causes.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a side elevation of a hanger constructed in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is a partially sectional elevation at right angles to that of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a trolley wire 1 is suspended from a messenger wire or cable 2 by means of hangers 3. Each hanger 3 comprises a cable clamp alga trolley clam 5 and a pair of links .6 and T interposed lietween the two clamps.

The cable clamp 4 comprises a loop 8 having a pair of ears 9 and 10 to which one end of the link 6 is pivotally connected by mantis of a bolt- 11.

The trolley clamp 5 maybe of any suitable construction and comprises, as shown, a pair of clamping jaws 12 and 13 having hooked extremities 14 which engage suitable rooves in the trolley conductor, and s acing ugs 15 and 16 which project inward y from o posite outer corners of the jaw members. he jaw members are secured to the trolley by bindin screws 11' which produce a clamping action between the jaws. The lower end of the link 7 projects into the space between the jaw members which is rovided b the spacing lugs 15 and 16, an is pivotal y secured to the jaw member 12 by'means of a bolt 18.

It will be observed that the arrangement of parts is such as to permit a vertical or a longitudinal adjustment of the trolley con-' dnctor while a torsional movement is preven A hinge connection is established between the links 6 and 7 by means of a bolt 19 which extends throu h corresponding holes 20 and 21 in the lin 5, several holes being provided near the end of each link in order to adapt the hanger to different distances between the trolley conductor and the messen er cable.

I the t 0 links are allowed to come into absolute a inement with each other so that the. bolts 11, 18 and 19 lie in the same straight line. one of the advanta es of the hanger is defeated and, consequent ly, lateral the size and arrangement of parts projections 22 and 23 are provided at corresponding adjacent corners of the links to form stops which limit the separation between the messenger and the trolley conductor.

v The nuts on the bolts 11,18 and 19 are so set as to restrict the movement of the trolley wire toward and away from the. cable in order to maintain a good contact with a trolley shoe by materially'resisting its upward pressure, without making the structure ri id.

It wfil be understood, that modifications in ma be effected in the hanger illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A hanger for electric lines comprising two clamping members and two hinge-connected links which are respectively hingeconnected to said clamping members 2. A hanger for electric lines comprising two clam ing members, two hinge-connected links, an means for preventing an absolute alinementof the links. z

3. A hanger for electric lines comprising a pair of clamping or securing members, two hinge-connected links interposed between the clamping members and having lateral clam s.

5. in an electric line structure, the combination with a messenger wire or cable, a trolle conductor and two rigid hingeconnecte links for sus ending the trolley conductor from the cab e, of means for varying the combined length of the links.

6. In an electric line structure, the combination with a messenger cable, a trolley wire, and clamps fastened to said Wire and to said cable, respectively, a pair of links hinge-connected together and to the respecti've clamps to move only in the plane of the wire and cable.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 25th day of February, 1908.

THEODORE VARNEY. Witnesses:

E. ERNEST Rosn, BIRNEY Hmns. 

